Do you ever use Craigs List to sell/purchase items/services?

Jan 9, 2013 2:15 PM

I have been finding a few decent deals on Craigs List lately and have been surprised at the quality of the items when I pick them up. There have been times in the past when I went to look at something and it was nothing like the description and I walked. But every now and then you can find a diamond in the rough.

Buy items, yes. Can often find good deals on stuff there, the danger being it often is things I don't really need.

Sell items, mostly no. I generally find that when I post an item I end up attracting the flakiest people in town. One person was coming to my house around five years ago for something I was giving away for free and never arrived. No call, no email, nothing. I gave them a good 3 hours before I gave up and left for dinner (the distance they were covering I could have walked in a half hour).

Buy services, sometimes. The problem though is the self-righteous readers in this area who flag listings just because they can. Hence the success of buying a service is tied in part to the time of day and whether or not people are around to flag it down for auto-removal.

Sell services, I've never tried. However I am unemployed now so I might try it in the future just to bring in some money on the side.

I use freecycle to give stuff away. I buy and sell on Craigslist. I use Craiglist exclusively for larger stuff, like the king-sized bed I was selling. I post to Craiglist first on smaller stuff before posting on EBay, in the hopes of not having to box stuff up and mail it. Being female increases the security risks for dealing with people on the internet. Unless it's a very large item, I do not share my address and meet the buyer/seller in a neutral spot like a busy store parking lot. If it's something big enough I have to invite them into my home or go to theirs, I have a large guy friend with me. I do all my craigslist business in cash.

Buy items, yes. Can often find good deals on stuff there, the danger being it often is things I don't really need.

Sell items, mostly no. I generally find that when I post an item I end up attracting the flakiest people in town. One person was coming to my house around five years ago for something I was giving away for free and never arrived. No call, no email, nothing. I gave them a good 3 hours before I gave up and left for dinner (the distance they were covering I could have walked in a half hour).

Buy services, sometimes. The problem though is the self-righteous readers in this area who flag listings just because they can. Hence the success of buying a service is tied in part to the time of day and whether or not people are around to flag it down for auto-removal.

Sell services, I've never tried. However I am unemployed now so I might try it in the future just to bring in some money on the side.

I use freecycle to give stuff away. I buy and sell on Craigslist. I use Craiglist exclusively for larger stuff, like the king-sized bed I was selling. I post to Craiglist first on smaller stuff before posting on EBay, in the hopes of not having to box stuff up and mail it. Being female increases the security risks for dealing with people on the internet. Unless it's a very large item, I do not share my address and meet the buyer/seller in a neutral spot like a busy store parking lot. If it's something big enough I have to invite them into my home or go to theirs, I have a large guy friend with me. I do all my craigslist business in cash.

@moondrake: I bought some fish from a woman on CL. I get to her house and she is this very small young woman with a small child in the house. I couldn't believe she would invite a stranger to her house just to sell me like $3 worth of fish! The only time I have people come to my house is if the item I'm selling won't fit in my car.

I've used it a couple of times to sell large items that weren't easy to ship - old bicycle, couches, tables, etc. But, generally I am not comfortable with having potential buyers come to my home to see the items. Where possible, I will meet with them in a lobby or outdoors (for the bike at least). There are some weird people out there and I'd prefer to limit my exposure to them.

Once in a while. I found a free piano in really solid condition on there once, but my landlord wouldn't let me grab it. I'm going to be moving pretty soon, and I'll definitely be checking CL for any furniture I need. Free sofas are there all the time, and they're usually in pretty good condition. Worst case I can rent a steam cleaner and clean the upholstery. But a free sofa is a free sofa. Tons of other good stuff that tends to be free/ cheap. Especially if you're in/ near a college town.

I have. I bought my car and the majority of the furniture in my house from craigslist.

And I've only been kidnapped twice.

One time a few years ago, I sold an iPod nano on CL. A guy texted me and suggested that we meet in a Target parking lot late at night. I went. I didn't realize until I got there (alone, of course) how dangerous the situation was... I don't think he realized it either, as we both sat in our cars 50 ft away from each other for 10 minutes before one of us went to greet the other. But he bought and I sold and I'm still living...

I haven't bought anything, but have sold some stuff. I had to get rid of a riding lawn mower, fast, due to an unexpected relocation. Put it up for cheap, sold it the next day.

I was able to sell my kayak for a reasonable price also on Craigslist. The guy that bought it had been waiting and waiting for this particular model and was dying to have it. I sold it for a bit less than I otherwise could have got, because I wanted somebody who was going to use it to have it.

You definitely have to take the bad with the good when using CL. Too many "I just sold it....here is how I got it. Try (insert penny-auction site)" replies. You WILL end up on spam email lists. LOTS of scams involving attempts to pay with cashier's check, Paypal, etc.

As long as you stick to the adage "If it is too good to be true, it probably is"...you can get great deals. I bought my car and sold a ton of electronics through CL. ALWAYS deal in person and with cash and whenever possible, do so in a public place away from your home.

I buy and sell furniture on craigslist, but that’s about it. I steer clear of any electronics and things of that nature, in my area craigslist "robberies" are a problem; the criminals are usually "selling or buying" cellphones and tablets. I also never go to buy or sell anything alone, and if I'm at my own home I make sure to prominently display my German Shepherd off leash in the garage, so if anyone is there on a scouting party for free stuff they know they'll have to deal with my dog if they come back to burglarize me.

I was able to grab one of those wooden outdoor playsets for $250, and it was in great condition, I only had to partially disassemble it so setting it back up was as snap. Got a great treadmill for $40 and the cat I posted about needing a name for, was found on CL.

Have sold a car, and lots of electronics. In general, if I am selling something, I meet the person at a neutral site - $tarbucks, etc. I just feel safer. And that's being a big hulking guy. FWIW.

Cash deals are always something of a toss-up, depending on what you are selling. I feel a bit weird walking around with a lot of $$$, and/or someone else knowing I have a lot of $$$.

Have also bought a ton of crap from CL. Everything from toys for my kids to computer parts.

Biggest problem is flaky people - arrange to meet someone and they don't show. Fer cryin' out loud, just call/text/e-mail to say you can't make it!

As far as services, I spent some time working for a friend who had a moving service. He did it solely through CL & word of mouth. He also made a fair amount of $ doing so. And, that was 5+ years ago, so I have no idea what its like now.

I've never gone to CL to obtain services. I usually ask for referrals from people I know. But that's just me.

@dergage: I also bring my 140lb Great Dane with me for backup when I go to the meets. He's a pretty big deterrent to unarmed aggression.

@75grandville: I have found a couple of overnight pet sitters on there. Overnight pet sitters are exceedingly difficult to find. I wish more responsible college students would do it, it's easy money. I check their references before giving them my address, get their address when I give mine and actually check to make sure that is their real address. This is someone I am planning to leave along in my home with my most prized possessions, my pets, so a little informal background check is wise.

@moondrake: This is completely off topic, but what are your experiences with pet sitters? Been trying to figure out what to do with our three dogs (combined they would equal yours for weight) when we want to go out of town for a couple of days.

A pet sitter seems like the best idea, but no idea how much it costs, etc. One of our dogs is a slightly neurotic 10 YO black lab who is a permanent foster. Former owners surrendered her b/c she is incontinent, and that was only after the vet spent two hours talking them out of having her euthanized. We think she would be pretty traumatized if we tried to take her to a "pet hotel."

@75grandville: I called my vet and asked if they had any suggestions for a pet sitter. One of the vet techs actually lived in my town and said she did pet sitting, so that worked out perfectly! She charges $30 a day to stop by twice, I usually ask her to stop three times and give her $50 a day. She is there for about 45 minutes playing with Floyd and letting him do his business. She also leaves a description as to what times she was there and what was done.

Floyd is a 10 year old English Bulldog so I get nervous when we have to leave him alone, but having a vet tech watching him makes us feel MUCH better. I would probably call a couple of local vets and see what/who they suggest.

I both buy and sell on Craigslist. I usually take someone with me when I sell something, and meet them in a public parking lot. I rarely go to someones home, and if I do, I won't go in their house. I'm a female, and I like to think I can hold my own, but I'm not stupid!

Almost everything I've sold I have met someone, just the furniture and the bikes I sold I allowed them to come to my house, but I kept them outside, lol!~ No dog to deter them unfortunatley, but I may start borrowing someones, at least they will think I have a dog! My neighbor would probably let me borrow one of her pits :)

My biggest problem is when I have something listed for say....$50 firm, and someone tries to offer $25! Or...worse, less than half...um, hello, I said FIRM! And, in all caps too!~ Even when I say reasonable offer, they love to offer less than half. In the end, I won't take it, because I vend at flea markets on the side, I know I'll get my money there!

Also, I think we found the MLS for my house there. I think we found my car on CL. I've sold jewelry from an old bf via CL with much success. It's like digging through a thrift store, but once in a while - you come up with perfection, at a great price.

@dergage: It might be a function of what car one wants to sell, but I have never had success selling a car on craigslist. One car that I listed I found that people kept wanting to make atrociously low offers before even seeing the car and the other people kept wanting to trade me things I didn't want (jeeps, snowmobiles, atvs) for it. For that matter with the first car one person looked at it, then offered me 1/3 of what I was asking (which was already well below the market value) and then when I turned him down he sent me an angry email a week later offering even less!

Ultimately I sold both cars through a site that was dedicated to selling that make and model.

@lparsons42: I could see that. I picked up a sweet 91 BMW for a sweet deal. The seller's asking price was more than reasonable (or less?) and I didn't even haggle on it. I went by to look at it, fell in love and brought her the cash the next day. I'm sure selling a car is very hit or miss, but it was a dually beneficial deal in my case.

My wife and I have bought lots of stuff on Craigslist. I prefer not to have people over to my house if I can avoid it, so I've only sold a few things where it's required someone to come here.

I got our kitchen table, bench and chairs on Craigslist a few months back for next to nothing and it was like new. At our old house, I was able to get a used cast-iron bathtub for cheap. I refinished it and saved about $150 vs a new one. I've gotten computer parts in the past as well. It's like a flea market full of good deals because people just want it out of their way.

I sold a 135 gallon aquarium a few years ago and got what I wanted for it. I sold my car last spring and got more than I wanted for it too. The company that manages my rental property used Craigslist to find renters for our house and had it filled within a week.

In the spring, I plan on renting my house out for the Bristol Races by posting on Craigslist.

Near LAX it's almost all whackos and whackjobs.
I bought one car. The seller was so impressed that I actually brought cash to buy that he gave me a discount. It seems that I was maybe the 12th guy, nobody else was willing to pay cash, and for no more than half the asking price.
I sold a couple cars. Yep. A dozen aholes in a row will want to pay no more than half- and on payments. The current scam is to bring the family, talk religion and new jobs, and then complain that you are making them look bad by not taking this great offer. I'm starting to think that there's a class in this, and how to do quick flips.
There's quite a few asymmetrical women that will offer "massages" in lieu of payments.
Maybe these folk watch reality TV? Where someone is selling a $5k car for $8k, and on camera will negotiate down to $5k? Not in real life, buddy. And it's always cash. Now. Not now? Next!
I still have some nice items for sale. After the first dozen aholes I try again in a month. Or three.

I have only encountered wackos. Don't dare ever put up an advertisement for a garage sale unless you want hate mail. Not only do I get nasty e-mails when items I advertised for sale were gone (sorry folks, first come first serve it's a garage sale!) - but I have people who will e-mail me weeks after the sale asking if I had anything left. This was even AFTER I deleted the post.

Then I sold a copy of "Avengers" #4 (return of Captain America). I got book for it, but the guy now continuously e-mails me asking me to buy it back - going back probably a year when it was at it's peak. Cyber stalkers

Very happy with Craigslist. It's easy to spot the items that aren't going to stand up to in-person scrutiny. I only bother with posts that have pictures (or people who will send me one) and are reasonably legible.

Yes. I've both bought and sold on there for some years now. I've also found local "garage sale" groups on Facebook, which I've been using quite a bit as well. I've done better with both buying and selling on the Facebook ones, than Craigslist.

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